Methods and apparatuses for heating slides carrying specimens

Abstract

A slide processing apparatus controls the temperature and orientation of a microscope slide carrying one or more specimens. The apparatus heats the specimen-bearing microscope slide while the slide is oriented to both facilitate adhesion between the specimens and the slide and control movement of the specimens relative to the microscope slide. A slide dryer of the apparatus conductively heats the specimens using a conductive slide heater that physically engages the microscope slide.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An automated apparatus for processing a microscope slide carrying a specimen, the apparatus comprising:
 a controller; 
 a slide dryer configured to receive a microscope slide automatically positioned on the slide dryer, and automatically hold the microscope slide, which is carrying a specimen, in a substantially vertical orientation, the slide dryer including a conductive slide heater communicatively coupled to the controller, the controller being programmed to automatically command the conductive slide heater to heat an engagement surface of the slide dryer to a temperature greater than about 50 degrees Celsius to generate a sufficient amount of heat so as to conductively heat the specimen on the microscope slide, wherein the engagement surface slopes upwardly at an angle of inclination greater than about 75 degrees; 
 a plurality of processing stations having nozzles and configured to automatically dispense one or more fluids from the nozzles such that the one or more fluids contact the specimen carried by the microscope slide after the slide dryer has automatically dried the specimen; 
 a transport device positioned to automatically and sequentially transport and deliver a slide transporter, which carries a plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides, between the slide dryer and the plurality of processing stations; and 
 a slide handler that automatically picks up and carries the plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides between the slide dryer and the slide transporter, the slide handler includes at least one of a slide manipulator, an X-Y-Z transport system, a robotic arm, or a pick and place robot. 
 
     
     
       2. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slide dryer further comprises a thermo-electric element configured to generate heat for heating the specimen-bearing slides, wherein the thereto-electric element includes at least one Peltier device. 
     
     
       3. The automated apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the thermo-electric element extends along a length of the engagement surface of the slide dryer, and extends along a length of a surface opposite of the engagement surface of the slide dryer. 
     
     
       4. The automated apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the thermo-electric element is partially embedded within a plate defining the engagement surface. 
     
     
       5. The automated apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the thermo-electric element includes a resistive heating element. 
     
     
       6. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to control at least one of an amount of heat produced by the conductive slide heater of the slide dryer and a length of time in which the specimen is heated by the conductive slide heater. 
     
     
       7. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slide dryer is configured to heat the engagement surface to a temperature of at least 65 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       8. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the processing stations is a de-paraffinizing station configured to deliver at least one de-paraffinizing fluid toward the microscope slide. 
     
     
       9. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the transport device is configured to automatically load the plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides without coverslips into the slide dryer, to automatically remove the plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides without coverslips from the slide dryer, and to automatically deliver the plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides without coverslips into the processing stations. 
     
     
       10. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the transport device includes an elevator. 
     
     
       11. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive slide heater includes a selectively heatable plate dimensioned to support a plurality of substantially vertically orientated microscope slides that are spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
       12. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive slide heater includes a plurality of heat generating support elements, the support elements spaced apart from one another to allow the microscope slide to be automatically positioned between a respective pair of adjacent support elements. 
     
     
       13. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to at least one of the processing stations or the transport device. 
     
     
       14. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processing stations includes a staining station and a cover-slipping station. 
     
     
       15. The automated apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the transport device includes a slide tray configured to carry the plurality of specimen-bearing microscope slides.